Number of killings hits 20-year low

The number of killings fell dramatically last year to hit a 20-year low, new crime figures have revealed.

There were 136 fewer homicides - including murder, manslaughter and child killings - in 2008/9 compared to a year earlier, a fall of 17%.

But there were worrying signs the recession was beginning to lead to increases in other crimes - with burglary up 1%, pickpocket and bag snatch thefts up 25% and shoplifting up 10%.

There were also fewer attempted murders last year, with police in England and Wales recording a 7% drop in offences to 575. Other violent offences were up, however, including a 5% increase in the number of women raped to 12,165.

Police recorded 284,000 domestic burglaries - the first increase in six years.

Offences of cruelty against children went up by nearly a fifth, to 6,218, and fraud and forgery were up by 5% to 163,000 offences. Drugs offences were up 6%. Overall crime was stable, figures from the British Crime Survey showed, but there was a 1% rise in the risk of becoming a victim.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson accepted some "acquisitive" crimes were on the increase. He said: "The latest crime statistics are encouraging. Since 1997 overall crime has fallen by 36% - a total of six million fewer crimes, violence is down by 41% and domestic burglary is down by 54%. Today's figures show that the reductions in crime are being maintained and the risk of being a victim is still historically low.

"Encouragingly, violent crime continues to fall, with homicide figures now lower than they have been for a decade and attempted murder also falling. Overall, violent crime with injury is down 7% and there has been a 5% fall in recorded robberies, now at its lowest level since 2002.

"But we are not complacent. As in previous years we see changing patterns of crime and we know that during economic downturns certain crimes face upward pressure, which is why we've already taken action to tackle these head-on.

"Although today's figures show signs of some acquisitive crimes increasing, the Government is determined to keep these crimes down by continued investment in preventative measures, tough, targeted policing and historically high numbers of police officers."